Post 579: SHAYE COHN - TRADITIONAL JAZZ COMPOSER

Shaye Cohn is considered by many to be the best traditional jazz band leader, the best traditional jazz cornet player and one of the best traditional jazz piano players and violin players in the world today. I think it's time also for us to recognise her achievement as a composer of our kind of music.

While only in her early 30s, Shaye had already given us some wonderful compositions. Think of the very entertaining and clever Blue Chime Stomp. Remember the haunting Owl Call Blues. And there was Salamanca Blues - a lovely melancholy piece with themes in F and then Ab, giving plenty of opportunities to the trombone and guitar.  Watch it in this performance: CLICK HERE.  As you can hear, it starts with a pleasant 12-bar blues theme in F, played by Barnabus. After that, so many interesting things happen: an other-worldly 16-bar theme led by Shaye; then a switch to the key of A flat and some lovely 12-bar blues sequences (including those played with a 'break' on bars 7 and 8 by Craig and Barnabus and Todd - always signalled by Shaye's outstretched leg). It's an early example of the beauty and complexity of Shaye's compositions. I should think she must still be very proud of it.

The medium-tempo Tangled Blues is a particularly clever composition: as its title suggests, it sets us plenty to 'untangle', with pretty, wistful phrases popping up in different keys and in two different themes - one of which runs for the highly unusual length of 18 bars.

In some of her work, we might say she is following the Schoebel School of Composition. By this I mean that, just as Elmer Schoebel in such pieces as 'Stomp Off, Let's Go' and 'I Never Knew What a Girl Could Do' has unconventional linking passages that catch us off balance, so Shaye does not restrict herself to nothing but such 8-bar blocks of music as constitute about 95% of traditional jazz tunes. 

Indeed, Shaye often challenges the ubiquitous 32-bar structures [four 8-bar sections, a – a – b – a] followed by popular music composers of the 1920s and 1930s. Some of her structures verge on the byzantine.

Pearl River Stomp (from 2016) springs another Shaye surprise. It begins with a bright 16-bar theme in the key of Ab. This is played through several times. Various instruments in turn take the lead, with interesting backing from the others. But just when you think it will continue like this, no doubt ending with some ensemble choruses, there is an abrupt drop to the key of Db and an entirely new 16-bar theme is played (very much like Bogalusa Strut and complete with the break in Bars 7 and 8). And it is with this theme - played only two or three times - that the piece ends.

Elysian Fields includes some apparent 8-bar sections that weirdly morph into 9 bars, with the barely perceptible addition of a holding pause.

Then there is the mighty Mortonesque Pyramid Strut, composed while the band Tuba Skinny was touring in Australia. This is the most complex of Shaye's creations. It has four themes, as well as an 8-bar bridge, and uses two keys. Lots of 'breaks' are built in and there are witty moments - such as the Coda. You can find videos of all these tunes on YouTube.

A favourite of many fans is the hauntingly beautiful Deep Bayou Moan. To my ear, it's in Ab (F minor). Elegiac, introspective, Arcadian: it has all these qualities.

Shaye's composition Nigel's Dream sounds so authentically 1920s that you could easily be fooled into thinking it was a previously undiscovered manuscript by King Oliver.

You can hear Shaye and Tuba Skinny performing Nigel's Dream either at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1-vc0YVodU

or at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mH63AsRRuw.

As ever, we must be grateful to the video-makers (in this case James Sterling and RaoulDuke504) for bringing this tune to our attention.

Its cheeky two-bar introduction involves nothing more than one 'Charleston' bar from the washboard followed by a single chord from the banjo, guitar and tuba. Then we are into Theme A - 32 bars in the key of C. Great use is made of a phrase (reminiscent of the Middle Eight of East Coast Trot) in which a flattened third is accentuated. Actually these 32 bars comprise two almost identical 16s; and at the end of the first sixteen (Bars 15 and 16) we have a 'break' (played by the banjo first time through and by the cornet and clarinet in a witty King Oliver-style mini-duet when the Theme is played again, led by the trombone, later).

The final bar of Theme A takes us through a modulating chord into the Key of Eb, in which Theme B is played. Twice through the sixteen bars (apparently both beginning with the chord sequence IV - IV - I - I) gives us a merry 32 bars. We then go straight back into Theme A (key of C again), with the trombone taking the lead. Then Theme B (in Eb) is re-visited. This is played through a couple of times with some boisterous, polyphonic ensemble, giving the piece a great ending. There is a neat Coda of just one bar.

What a composition! It's just as well written and well played as those King Oliver Jazz Band classics from the 1920s.
======================

Post 399: THE FUTURE FOR 'PYRAMID STRUT'?

NOTE: GOOD NEWS. Since I wrote the article below, Tuba Skinny have been filmed near the end of 2015 playing Pyramid Strut in the street: CLICK HERE TO VIEW. Also, I heard them play it twice [once busking in Royal Street and once at a Festival Event] when I was in New Orleans for the French Quarter Festival in April 2016.

I have written before about Shaye Cohn's 2013 composition Pyramid Strut. It is a little masterpiece of ithnographic complexity, very much on a par with the music Jelly Roll Morton was writing in the early 1920s. Pyramid Strut deserves to become another popular classic in the traditional jazz canon.

However, this is not happening. Why? I think there are two reasons.

First, no band other than Shaye Cohn's (Tuba Skinny) plays it. Partly this is because it would require hard preparatory work. There is no sheet music you can buy; so it would be necessary to work out all the melodies and chord changes. This is do-able but would take time and effort by a musician with a good ear, a keyboard and manuscript paper - and then further time and effort by the members of the band to learn and play it. But more importantly, out of respect for Shaye Cohn and her copyright, musicians would not even consider 'pirating' her work in such a way.

The second reason why Pyramid Strut is still unknown to most audiences is that even Tuba Skinny (to judge from YouTube videos) seem to have stopped playing the tune since they put it on their 2014 CD. Why is this? It could be that Shaye is too modest to give prominence to her own work in the band's play-lists. Or it could be that (with occasional changes of personnel) it is difficult to ensure that all musicians in the pool of Tuba Skinny players know the tune well enough. This tune is - after all - one of the most complex the band plays.

So, sadly, I have to report that this fine piece of music risks fading into obscurity. I sincerely hope that will not happen. There is some hope. One of my correspondents says he has received this email from Shaye:
Pyramid Strut is a tune I composed a couple of years ago. I don't believe it's on Youtube. There is no written arrangement for the tune but you're welcome to transcribe it; just please include a credit to me and the band. Thanks, -Shaye

Meanwhile, here's a reminder of  what it offers.

Pyramid Strut begins in the Key of Eb.

It has a 4-bar Introduction which in other contexts could be mistaken for the final four bars of a tune. It runs down the scale of Eb in the third bar and so establishes the key.

Then we have a bouncy first theme consisting of 24 bars and played twice. Bars 1, 5 and 21 contain a distinctive little phrase (a minim each on A and Bb) which give this theme a special character. But its other notable feature is that Bars 17 to 20 inclusive are played as 'Breaks' (exactly what Morton would have approved of). The first time this theme is played, the cornet takes the lead and also the breaks; the second time the clarinet.

Then the tune moves immediately and energetically into a second theme. This consists of 12 bars (on the basic 12-bar blues chord pattern). As you may know, it was also a common practice in the 1920s to slot a 12-bar blues theme into the middle of structured compositions. (Think of The She's Crying for Me, Copenhagen and The Chant, for example.) Shaye's 12-bar theme is played through twice - first vigorously stated by the cornet and secondly with the full ensemble. We are still in the key of Eb.

Straight into the third theme we then go; and we find ourselves now in the key of Ab. What we have here is a 16-bar theme and this too is played twice. But what a tricky theme! In each set of 16 bars, bars 1 and 2, bars 3 and 4, bars 9 and 10 and bars 11 and 12 are taken as Breaks! That gives you four breaks in 16 bars - twice; so eight breaks in all. On the CD, the eight breaks are taken respectively by cornet, clarinet, trombone, tuba, cornet, cornet, cornet and cornet.

This is followed by an attractive 8-bar Bridge passage, which is extraordinary because it teasingly plays around (if my ear serves me correctly) on the F minor arpeggio. But the Bridge ends by running down through the Eb7 chord which of course leads us back beautifully into Ab. This will remain the key of the fourth (and final) theme.

This fourth theme consists of 16 bars on a simple chord sequence. It is played three times. The clarinet leads us through it the first time, playing a tricky melody almost entirely of semi-quavers. Next, the banjo and tuba take the lead (a nice touch) in the second 16-bar chorus. Finally the whole band joins in for a climactic ensemble improvising over the 16 bars.

And there's one more (Mortonesque) cheeky surprise: in a brief coda, those two minims from the opening theme bring the piece to an end, rounding it off perfectly. But this time (because the key has changed to Ab) they are played on the notes D and Eb.

You can hear this recording (and better still buy it if you have not yet done so) by clicking here.

Footnote

My book 'Tuba Skinny and Shaye Cohn' is available from Amazon:

Post 275: 'PYRAMID STRUT'

Tuba Skinny's fifth CD - Pyramid Strut - is available for digital download direct to your computer. And Tuba Skinny's sixth CD - Owl Call Blues - is also now on sale.

All you need to do to download Pyramid Strut is this. Go to
https://tubaskinny.bandcamp.com/album/pyramid-strut

and follow the instructions. You can pay for it easily (e.g. by PayPal) even if you do not live in the USA. You can even listen on line before you buy.

This CD was recorded in Tasmania during the band's Australian tour in 2013 and in my opinion is their best. It has excellent sound quality and of course the technical standard the musicians had reached by 2013 was so high that this CD is truly outstanding.

Talking about it, washboard-player Robin Rapuzzi said: Recording 'Pyramid Strut' was far different from any recording experience I think any of us will ever have again, as the space in which we recorded was very beautiful and sacred. A man named Chris Townsend had us over to his home outside of Hobart in the middle of Virgin Tassie Forest. He welcomed us and let us camp out on his property in some old fruit-picker shacks as well as recorded the album in its entirety. It was a pleasure to work with him and get to know his style. Normally we just record our music at home with blankets hung on the wall or a mattress leaned up against a corner to act as a sound barrier. I'm sure the sheer beauty of jungle around influenced us, as well as having the time and space to do it.  Often when we record, we don't give ourselves that much time to get the job done and it can feel rushed. In Tassie, we recorded I think it was over 20 tracks the first day and a similar amount the following day. Recording on that property allowed us to discuss a lot of everything and everyone's own ideas about the album.

15 tracks were eventually used on the CD, including such gems as Alligator Crawl, Deep Henderson and Big Chief Battleaxe. The polished, disciplined performances are stunning. There is also some terrific singing from Erika in such numbers as Slow Drivin' Moan (in a great arrangement making good use of Barnabus's trombone) and in Lonesome Drag, for which she wrote the lyrics. Here's the full list:

Big Chief Battle Axe

Lonesome Drag

Freight Train Blues (Lorraine Walton composition from 1938)

Pyramid Strut

I Got The Cryin' Blues

Cold Morning Shout

Hesitation Blues

Skid Dat De Dat

Mean Blue Spirits

You've Got To Give Me Some

Sweet Lovin' Old Soul

Alligator Crawl

Blood Thirsty Blues

Deep Henderson

Slow Drivin' Moan

May I draw your attention especially to the eponymous Pyramid Strut, an amazing composition by Shaye Cohn, who also plays a prominent part in its performance? This is a complex Mortonesque piece. In fact it's in the spirit of such tunes as Red Hot Peppers Stomp, recorded by Morton and His Red Hot Peppers in 1928.

Pyramid Strut is a tune of ithnographic complexity. It begins in the Key of Eb. It has a 4-bar Introduction which in other contexts could be mistaken for the final four bars of a tune. It runs down the scale of Eb in the third bar and so establishes the key. Then we have a first theme consisting of 24 bars and played twice. Bars 1, 5 and 21 contain a distinctive little phrase (a minim each on A and Bb) which give this theme a special character. But its other notable feature is that Bars 17 to 20 inclusive are played as 'Breaks' (exactly what Morton would have approved of). The first time this theme is played, the cornet takes the lead and also the breaks; the second time the clarinet.

Then the tune moves immediately and energetically into a second theme. This consists of 12 bars on the basic 12-bar blues chord pattern. As you may know, it was also a common practice in the 1920s to slot a 12-bar blues theme into the middle of structured compositions. (Think of The Chant and Copenhagen, for example.) Shaye's 12-bar theme is played through twice - first vigorously stated by the cornet and secondly with the full ensemble. We are still in the key of Eb.

Straight into the third theme we then go; and we find ourselves now in the key of Ab. What we have here is a 16-bar theme and this too is played twice. But what a tricky theme! In each set of 16 bars, bars 1 and 2, bars 3 and 4, bars 9 and 10 and bars 11 and 12 are taken as Breaks! That gives you four breaks in 16 bars - twice; so eight breaks in all. On the recording, the eight breaks are taken respectively by cornet, clarinet, trombone, tuba, cornet, cornet, cornet and cornet.

This is followed by an attractive 8-bar Bridge passage, which is extraordinary because it teasingly plays around (if my ear serves me correctly) on the F minor arpeggio. But the Bridge ends by running down through the Eb7 chord which of course leads us back beautifully into Ab. This will remain the key of the fourth (and final) theme.

This fourth theme consists of 16 bars  on a simple chord sequence. It is played three times. The clarinet leads us through it the first time, playing a tricky melody almost entirely of semi-quavers. Next, the banjo and tuba take the lead (a nice touch) in the second 16-bar chorus. Finally the whole band joins in for a climactic ensemble improvising over the 16 bars. And there's one more (Mortonesque) cheeky surprise: in a brief coda, those two minims from the opening theme bring the piece to an end, rounding it off perfectly. But this time (because the key has changed to Ab) they are played on the notes D and Eb.

Wow! I feel exhausted simply writing about it. Listen carefully to this piece. You will love it. Admire the discipline, the tightness of the playing and the technique of all seven players. You are witnessing what will come to be seen as one of the masterpieces of recorded jazz history.

What a girl Shaye Cohn is! (By the way, she even did the extraordinarily detailed and painstaking artwork on the CD cover - see top of this post.)

By the way, also note especially Shaye's busy playing on Big Chief Battleaxe. She can take a simple theme and create so much out of it, whether soloing or supporting the other players.

Aren't we lucky to be able - all over the world - to enjoy the fruits of her marvellous composing, arranging and playing?

Post 134: LETTER FROM AUSTRALIA - A TUBA SKINNY PERFORMANCE

Today I received this:-

Hello Ivan, 

On Saturday the 18th October, Maree and I were treated to some absolutely fabulous New Orleans Jazz by a superb band of musicians called Tuba Skinny. It was a beautiful evening in Melbourne and the band were playing in a large tent on the banks of the Yarra River. We were able to stand one row back from the stage (we wangled this only because we are small and the taller people around did not mind) and had a great view of all the activities on the stage. The washboard player Robin Rapuzzi was directly above us on the stage. Erika has a great blues/jazz voice and the rest are superb on their individual instruments. The show went for about 90mins and we enjoyed every minute of it.

But wait there's more. After the show the band members came out to sell their recent CDs so we bought their CD titled "Pyramid Strut" and six of the band members autographed it. We also took some photos.

All in all a very memorable and enjoyable evening.

Cheers,

John and Maree

Post 51: THE REPERTOIRE OF TUBA SKINNY

Introductory Note

The book - 'Tuba Skinny and Shaye Cohn' by Pops Coffee - is available from Amazon:

_____________________________________________________________________

Tuba Skinny, as far as I know, is the best traditional jazz band playing anywhere in the world today. And the great thing about it is that its members are YOUNG!

Although the band has been in existence for only nine years, it has built up an extraordinary repertoire so different from that of hundreds of other trad bands who go on playing the same old Bill Bailey, All of Me and Muskrat Ramble month in, month out.

Tuba Skinny's programmes mostly comprise exciting unfamiliar gems they have unearthed from the 1920s and 1930s (e.g. New Orleans Bump, You Can Have My Husband, Cold Morning Shout, Echo in the Dark, Forget Me Not Blues, Jackson Stomp, The Cotton Pickers' Rag, Deep Henderson, Banjoreno, Treasures Untold, Russian Rag, Oriental Strut, Minor Drag, Michigander Blues, In Harlem's Araby, Me and My Chauffeur, A Jazz Battle, Droppin' Shucks, Fourth Street Mess Around, Carpet Alley Breakdown). The almost-forgotten artists whose music they have revived include Lucille Bogan, Bo Carter, Big Bill Broonzy, Sara Martin, Victoria Spivey, Memphis Minnie, Jabbo Smith, Skip James, Merline Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, Hattie Hart, The Memphis Jug Band, The Tennessee Chocolate Drops, Clara Smith, The Original St. Louis Crackerjacks, The Dixieland Jug Blowers, The South Street Trio and The Mississippi Mud Steppers; and of course they also play tunes associated with the better-known, such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton. And they will surprise you by going to some unconventional sources for tunes they turn into exciting traditional jazz - sources such as Ray Charles and the 21st-century Australian original C. W. Stoneking.

Also in their use of structures, rhythmic variations, key changes, introductions, codas and the sharing and backing of 'solo' choruses or half-choruses, Tuba Skinny have much to teach the rest of us.

Tuba Skinny must have spent a great deal of time researching tunes from the 1920s and 1930s that risked falling into obscurity. Their own Twenty-First Century versions manage both to show respect for the originals and yet at the same time present the tunes in a fresh and exciting manner.

Thanks to the immense generosity of this band and of those who make videos of their performances, it is possible (particularly on YouTube) for the whole world to see and hear them.

With considerable effort, I struggled to maintain a list of the tunes played by Tuba Skinny that constantly appear on YouTube. Sometimes I have difficulty in identifying them or find it impossible. 

However, I did my best and the following list contains almost 400 tunes you can already hear Tuba Skinny playing, via the Internet, mainly on YouTube. I have obviously had to omit a dozen or so whose titles I don't know. (They have also made nine albums.)

I think you will agree that to have mastered such a repertoire in such a short time is a remarkable achievement. And you will notice how many of these wonderful tunes are missing from the repertoire of most trad bands.

When I finally got to meet the band (on 10 April 2015, while visiting New Orleans), Erika Lewis told me she was aware of my efforts in maintaining this list and that the band sometimes looked at it when planning a concert. They found it helpful in reminding themselves of tunes they hadn't played for some time. So I considered myself to be an honorary assistant librarian!

After You’ve Gone (on their CD Tuba Skinny. Composed by Creamer and Layton, 1927)

Ain’t Gonna Give Nobody None of My Jelly Roll (on their CD Six Feet Down)

Ain't Nobody's Business (Correct title - 'Nobody's Business' - see below)

Ain't That a Shame (Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, 1955)
Alexander's Ragtime Band (Irving Berlin, 1913)

All By Myself (Big Bill Broonzy, 1941. Up-tempo 12-bar blues)

Alligator Crawl (on their CD Pyramid Strut) (Fats Waller 1927)

All Night Long Blues aka Richmond Blues (Recorded 1927 by Dick Burnett and Leonard Rutherford. Similar to 'The Girls Go Crazy'.)
All I Want is a Spoonful On their 2020 Album  Quarantine Album: Unreleased B Sides. (Papa Charlie Jackson: an 8-bar theme from 1925)

Almost Afraid to Love (On their CD Blue Chime Stomp. Composed by Ann Turner for Georgia White 1938)

Any Kinda Man (would be better than you) On their CD Garbage Man and on their 2020 Album  Quarantine Album: Unreleased B Sides. (Written & recorded by Hattie McDaniel, 1929. Recorded by Victoria Spivey, 1936)

Any Old Time (Jimmie Rodgers, 1929; on their 2018 CD Nigel's Dream)
At The Jazz Band Ball (on their CD Six Feet Down)

Avalon (on their CD Tuba Skinny) (Da Sylva, Vincent Rose and Al Jolson, 1920)

Baby, How Can It Be? (Played as a 32-bar a-a-b-a. On their CD Rag Band) (Armenter Bo Chatmon [stage name Bo Carter] recorded it in 1931 as a 24-bar in his first three choruses)

Baby, I'd Love to Steal You On their 2020 Album Quarantine Album: Unreleased B Sides. (Recorded in 1943 by Bunk Johnson, who said Tony Jackson composed it circa 1900)

Baby, Please Don't Go (Joseph Lee 'Big Joe' Williams, 1935)

Ballin' The Jack (On their 2019 CD Some Kind-a-Shake. J. Burris and Chris Smith & possibly James Reese Europe, 1923)

Banjoreno (on their CD Rag Band) (H. Clifford, 1926, for the Dixieland Jug Blowers)

Beau-Koo Jack (Alex Hill & Louis Armstrong, 1928)

Beautiful Dreamer (Stephen Foster, 1862)

Beer Garden Blues (Lewis Raymond and Clarence Williams, 1933, with words by Walter Bishop)

Bellamina On their 2018 CD Nigel's Dream. (1925. Anon. Bahamian folk song)

Berlin Rags (On their 2019 CD Some Kind-a-Shake. Ewan Bleach, 2016)

Be Your Natural Self (Frankie Jaxon, 1938; on their 2021 CD Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny.)

Big Chief Battleaxe (on their CD Pyramid Strut. Composed by T. Allen in 1907)

Big City Blues (Con Conrad [m] & Archie Gottler and Sydney Mitchell [wds], 1929; on their 2021 CD Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny.)

Bill Bailey (Hughie Cannon, 1902)

Billie’s Blues (on their CD Tuba Skinny) (Billie Holiday, 1936)

Billy Goat Stomp (Jelly Roll Morton, 1927)

Biscuit Roller (on their CD Rag Band) (1937, Richard M. Jones and Georgia White)
Black Hand Blues (Hattie Hudson, 1927)

Black Mountain Blues (J.C. Johnson, 1930. Recorded by Bessie Smith)
Black Rag (William Ridgley, 1925. Very similar to 'Down Home Rag'. Recorded by Celestin's Tuxedo Orchestra.)

Blood Thirsty Blues (on their CD Pyramid Strut. Written and recorded by Victoria Spivey, 1927)

Blue (Bill Mack, 1958)

Blue Chime Stomp (On their CD Blue Chime Stomp. Shaye Cohn, 2015)

Blue Devil Blues (possibly Sara Martin and her Jug Band 1925)

Blue Moon of Kentucky Keep on Shining (Bill Monroe, 1946)

Blue Sky Blues (12-bar 'Woke up this morning' blues. Mississippi Blacksnakes, c. 1930; probably composed by Walter Vinson.)

Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me (Arthur Swanstone, Chas McCarron & Carey Morgan, 1919)

Boodle Am Shake (Spencer Williams & Jack Palmer, 1926. Recorded that year by Clarence Williams' Washboard Beaters)

Bouncing Around (Armand J. Piron & Peter Bocage, 1923; on their 2018 CD Nigel's Dream)

Bourbon Street Parade (Paul Barbarin, 1950)

Broken-Hearted Blues (composed by Erika Lewis, 2009; on their CD Tuba Skinny; and on their CD Blue Chime Stomp)

Broken-Hearted Blues (a second tune with this name - the one written and recorded by Lil Johnson in 1937 -  is on their CD Garbage Man)

Bugle Boy March (Francis Myers, 1907; though he called it 'The American Soldier')

Bumblebee (recorded by Memphis Minnie in 1930)

Burgundy Street Blues (George Lewis, 1944. Shaye plays it on the cornet!)

Call of the Freaks (see also Garbage Man Blues.; on their CD Tupelo Pine) 

Cannon Ball Blues (on their CD Owl Call Blues. How brilliantly they tackle even a 12-bar blues - with three key changes in two and a half minutes!)

Careless Love (on their CD Tuba Skinny. W. C. Handy)

Carpet Alley Breakdown (Cal Smith and Henry Clifford. Recorded by Johnny Dodds, 1926)

C.C. (See See) Rider  (Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey, 1925)

Cemetery Blues (Sid Laney, 1923. Recorded by Bessie Smith)
Chalmette Sunset (Barnabus Jones, 2020. 24-bar reverie in Ab. On their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll)

Chloe (C. N. Daniels and Kahn, 1927. On their CD Tuba Skinny; and on their CD Blue Chime Stomp.)

Chocolate Avenue (on their CD Tupelo Pine; Clarence Williams - though prob purloined from Herman Blount [aka Sun Ra], 1933)
Climax Rag (on their CD Rag Band) (James Scott, 1914)

Cold Mornin' Shout (on their CD Pyramid Strut) (Bobby Leecan for The South Street Trio, 1926)

Come Along Little Children (recorded 1932 by Will Shade and The Picaninny Jug Band)

Come On and Stomp Stomp Stomp (on their CD Tupelo Pine; Thomas Waller, Chris Smith and Irving Mills, 1927)

Come On Boys Let's Do That Messin' Around (Blind Blake, 1926)

Come On In (Ain't Nobody Here But Me) (Basic 16-bar, recorded by Harum Scarums, inc. Big Bill Broonzy, 1931)
Cotton Pickers' Drag (Ben Tinnon, 1930, for the Grinnell Giggers)
Coquette (Guy Lombardo tune from 1928)

Corrine, Corrina (12-bar blues. J Mayo Williams & Bo Chatmon, 1929)

Corrine, What Makes You Treat Me So? (16-bar. On their CD Blue Chime Stomp. Blind Boy Fuller, 1937)
Crazy Blues (written by Perry Bradford, 1927)

Crazy 'Bout You (on their CD Owl Call Blues. Big Bill Broonzy and the State Street Boys, 1935)

Crazy Chords (Jelly Roll Morton, 1930. On their CD Live at D.B.A., 2024.)

Crowing Rooster Blues (simple 12-bar, recorded by Lonnie Johnson in 1928.)

Crow Jane (on their CD Rag Band) (Skip James, 1931)

Crumpled Paper (Michael Magro, 2012. 12-bar in a minor key, played previously by Loose Marbles in the TV series 'Treme')

Cushion Foot Stomp (Clarence Williams, 1927. On their CD Live at D.B.A., 2024.)

Daddy Let Me Lay It On You (Walter Coleman,  1934. Recorded by Georgia White, 1936.)

Dallas Blues (Hart A. Wand, 1912; words added by Lloyd Garrett, 1918)

Dallas Rag (on their CD Owl Call Blues; Dallas String Band, 1927)

Dangerous Blues (on their CD Tupelo Pine; ODJB 1921. Composed the the young girl Billie Brown, who died aged 18 of smallpox)

Dear Almanzoer (On their CD Blue Chime Stomp. Oscar 'Papa' Celestin, 1927)

Deep Bayou Moan (on their CD Tupelo Pine and on their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll; Shaye Cohn 2017)

Deep Henderson (on their CD Pyramid Strut) (Fred Rose, 1926)

Deep Minor Rhythm Stomp (On their 2019 CD Some Kind-a-Shake. Eddie Lang, 1929)

Delta Bound (Alex Hill, 1931; on their CD Rag Band; and separately recorded on their 2021 CD Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny.)
Diamond Dove (See 'The Diamond Dove Song' below)

Dirty TB Blues (Composed and recorded by Victoria Spivey, 1929)

Dodo Blues (C. W. Stoneking, 2006)

Doing a Stretch (Recorded by Blind Blake, 1929)

Do It Right (12-bar song. Recorded in 1929 by Coot Grant and her husband Wesley 'Kid' Wilson; and in 1929 by Pigmeat Pete (Wesley Wilson) and Catjuice Charlie (Harry McDaniel). Composed (words and music) by Willie Jones.

Dónde Están Corazón (Luis Martinez Serrano, 1924)

Don't Ease Me In (A very basic two-chord 16-bar [8 + 8]. Henry Thomas; 1928)
Don't Jive Me (Better known as 'I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water', q.v.)

Don't You Feel My Leg (Danny Barker, Blu Lu Barker and J. Mayo Williams, 1938)

Do Your Duty (on their CD Six Feet Down) (Wesley Wilson for Bessie Smith, 1933. See also Keyhole Blues)

Down in the Valley (Folk song. Recorded [though in 3/4 time] by Jimmie Tarlton and Tom Darby, 1927)

Dreaming The Hours Away (Will E. Dulmage, 1927. Recorded 1928 by Clarence Williams' Jazz Kings)

Dream Shadows (On their 2018 CD Nigel's Dream. Recorded by The East Texas Serenaders, 1929)

Droppin’ Shucks (Lil Hardin, 1926)

Dusting The Frets (Carl Davis [and the Dallas Jamboree Jug Band] 1935; on their 2018 CD Nigel's Dream)

Dusty Rag (composed by May Aufderheide of Indianapolis in 1908!)

Dyin’ Blues (Blind Blake, 1926)

Eagle Riding Papa (on their CD Tupelo Pine; Thomas A. Dorsey, 1929)
Echo in the Dark (On their 2019 CD Some Kind-a-Shake. Recorded 1937 by The Original St. Louis Crackerjacks; composed in 1936 by their leader and pianist Chick Finney)

Egyptian Ella (composed by Walter Doyle in 1931)

El Deber de Los Dos (composed by Lorenzo Caballero; recorded date unknown by Lydia Mendoza. On their CD Live at D.B.A., 2024.)

El Rado Scuffle (composed by Fred Rose; recorded 1930 by Jimmy Noone)

Elysian Fields (Shaye Cohn, 2018. On their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll)

Everybody Loves My Baby (1922; by Jack Palmer and Spencer Williams)

Exactly Like You (Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh, 1930)

Faraway Blues (composed by Fletcher Henderson in 1920)

Farewell Blues (Schoelbel, Rappollo, Mares, 1922)

Farewell to Storyville (Spencer Williams, 1924. But he called it 'Good Time Flat Blues')

Fingering With Your Fingers (Created by The Mississippi Sheiks in 1935)

Fireworks (1928. Clarence Williams and Spencer Williams. Recorded by The Original Memphis Five and by Louis Armstrong's Hot Five; on their 2018 CD Nigel's Dream)

Forever I'll Be Yours (Waltz-tempo. Allen Bunn [aka Tarheel Slim] 1960. Included in the band's 2023 Album 'Hot Town'.)

Forget Me Not Blues On their 2020 Album  Quarantine Album: Unreleased B Sides. (A familiar pattern: 16-bar chorus with breaks on bars 9 - 12; recorded - and perhaps composed - by Sara Martin in 1925)

Fourth Street Mess Around (composed by Will Shade for The Memphis Jug Band, 1930)

Freight Train Blues (on their CD Pyramid Strut; Recorded 1924

by Clara Smith. Composers: Thomas A Dorsey & Everett Murphy)
Frisco Bound (a 10-bar blues! Composed by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe in 1929)

Frog Hop (on their CD Tupelo Pine; Composer : Clifford Hayes, 1928. Recorded by Clifford Hayes' Louisville Stompers that year)

Frog-i-More Rag (Jelly Roll Morton, 1918)

Frosty Morning Blues (on their CD Garbage Man) (Composed by Eddie Brown; recorded 1924 by Bessie Smith)

Garbage Man (on their CD Garbage Man)

Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You (composed by Razaf and Redman in 1929)
Georgia Grind (12-bar blues; composed by Spencer Williams in 1921)

Give It Up or Let Me Go (Bonnie Raitt, 1972)

Gladiolus Rag (Scott Joplin, 1907)

Going to Germany (probably a corrupted title - it is believed the original words were 'I'm Goin' to Germantown' - a short distance east of Memphis. On their CD Tupelo Pine; Noah Lewis for Cannon's Jug Stompers, 1929)

Golden Leaf Strut (Theme from 'Milenberg Joys': Walter Melrose, Leon Roppollo, Joe Mares, Jelly Roll Morton: 1925)

Good Liquor Gonna Carry Me Down (Written and recorded by Big Bill Broonzy, 1935)

Good Time Flat Blues (Also known as Farewell to Storyville. By Spencer Williams, 1924)

Got a Mind to Ramble (on their CD Owl Call Blues; recorded by Merline Johnson in the 1930s)

Got No Blues (Lil Hardin, 1927, for Louis Armstrong's Hot Five)

(You) Gotta Give Me Some (12-bar blues. On their CD Tuba Skinny; and on their CD Pyramid Strut. Composed by Clarence Williams. Recorded by Margaret Webster 1929; and also by Bessie Smith)

Got the South in my Soul (Victor Young & Lee Wiley [m] and Ned Washington [wds], 1932; on their 2021 CD Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny.)

Grandpa's Spells (Jelly Roll Morton, 1923.)

Hard Drivin' Papa (George Brooks. Recorded by Bessie Smith 1926)
Hard Pushin' Papa (Blind Blake, 1930)

Harlem Joys (Smith, Williams, Bishop, 1935. Recoded by Willie 'The Lion' Smith and His Cubs. 32-bar [16+16]. On their CD Live at D.B.A., 2024.)

Harlem's Araby (Fats Waller, Porter Grainger, Jo Trent, 1924)

He Ain't Got Rhythm (Irving Berlin, 1937; on their 2021 CD Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny.)

Hear Me Talkin’ To Ya (recorded by Ma Rainey)

He Calls That Religion (12-bar blues created and recorded by The Mississippi Sheiks, 1932)

He Likes It Slow (on their CD Six Feet Down. W. Benton Overstreet for Butterbeans and Susie, 1926)

Hesitation Blues (Billy Smythe, J. Scott Middleton and Art Gillham, 1915) (on their CD Pyramid Strut)

Hey Hey, Daddy Blues (Your Mama's Feeling Blue) (1927, Blind Blake - 16-bar song)

High Society (By Porter, Steele and Melrose, 1901)

High Steppin' Mamma (Cliff Carlisle & Wilbur Ball. Recorded by Cliff Carlisle in 1931)

Hilarity Rag (James Scott, 1910)

Hindustan (Oliver Wallace and Harold Weeks, 1918)

History of Man (Trinidad calypso. T.A. Codallo, 1938; recorded 1938 by Codallo's Top Hatters Orchestra)

Hold Your Hand, Madam Khan (Trinidad calypso. Recorded 1938 by Codallo's Top Hatters Orchestra)

Home (When Shadows Fall) (Harry Clarkson, Geoffrey Clarkson & Peter Van Steeden, 1931)

Honey (32-bar, a-a-b-a) (Armenter Bo Chatmon [stage name Bo Carter] recorded it in 1930s) 

Honey Babe, Let The Deal Go Down (1930, Mississippi Sheiks – a 12-bar similar to ‘Dallas Blues’)

Hot Town (Fess Williams, 1929. Included in the band's 2023 Album 'Hot Town'.)

How Can It Be? (on their CD Rag Band) (Armenter Bo Chatmon [stage name Bo Carter] recorded it in 1931)

How Come You Do Me Like You Do Do Do? (Gene Austin & Roy Bergere, 1924)

How Do They Do It That Way? (on their CD Garbage Man and on their CD Owl Call Blues) (Composed by Victoria Spivey and Reuben Floyd, Recorded by Victoria Spivey, 1929)
Humming To Myself (Sammy Fain [m] and Herbert Magidson with Monty Siegel [words], 1932)

Ice Cream (Composed by Howard Johnson, Billy Moll and Robert King, 1927)

Ice Man (written and recorded by Memphis Minnie 1936)

(The) Ida Wobble (catchy piece ending with a 12-bar blues theme; Robin Rapuzzi, 2021. On their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll)

I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water (12-bar blues. On their CD Rag Band; Created and recorded by Eddie Miller, 1935)

If It Don't Fit, Don't Force It (By Barrel House Annie, 1937)

If You Don't, I Know Who Will (on their CD Tuba Skinny. By Clarence Williams. Recorded by Bessie Smith 1923)

If You Don't Want Me, Please Don't Dog Me Around (Chatmon brothers, 1935. Very similar to 'Make Me a Pallet on the Floor')

If You Take Me Back (recorded by Kansas Joe McCoy, c. 1934)

I Get The Blues On their 2020 Album  Quarantine Album: Unreleased B Sides. ('I'm So Blue': Bo Carter, 1935)

I Get The Blues When It Rains (Klauber and Stoddart, 1928)

I Go For That (Recorded by Dorothy Lamour in 1939; on their 2021 CD Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny.)

I Got a Man in the 'Bama Mines (Merline Johnson, 1937)

I Got a Woman (Ray Charles, 1954)

I Got The Cryin' Blues (on their CD Pyramid Strut. Composed by Sara Martin & Tom Johnson. Recorded by Sara Martin and her Jug Band 1924)

I Hope Gabriel Likes My Music (Dave Franklin, 1935)

I Like You Best of All (George A. Little, Arthur Sizemore & Larry Shay, 1928; on their 2021 CD Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny.)

I'll See You in the Spring On their 2020 Album  Quarantine Album: Unreleased B Sides. (From the Memphis Jug Band, 1927)

I'm Alone Because I Love You (Joe Young, music; and Ira Schuster, words, 1930)

I'm a Winin' Boy (Jelly Roll Morton introduced this in the 1939 documentary)
I'm Blue and Lonesome (Nobody Cares for Me. On their CD Blue Chime Stomp. Georgia White and Richard M. Jones, 1938)
I’m Goin’ Back Home (On their 2019 CD Some Kind-a-Shake. Recorded by Memphis Minnie with Kansas Joe McCoy, c. 1930)

I'm Gonna Be a Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul (Sara Martin and her Jug Band, 1925)

I Need You By My Side (Hudson Whittaker 'Tampa Red', 1936)

In the Gloaming (Annie F Harrison & Meta Orred, 1877)

It Gets Easier (Max Bien-Kahn, 2022. On their CD Live at D.B.A., 2024.)

It Hurts Me Too (8-bar trad.; origins in 'How Long Blues', 1928. Included in the band's 2023 Album 'Hot Town'.)

It Is So Good (Charlie McCoy, 1930)

It’s Carnival Time (On their 2021 Album Mardi Gras EP. Mardi Gras tune, written and recorded by Al Johnson, 1960)

It's Nobody's Fault But Mine (probably Blind Willie Johnson, 1927)

I've Been Blue Ever Since You Went Away (32-bar a-a-b-a, Papa Charlie McCoy, 1930. Sometimes given the title 'Please Come Back To Me')

I've Got Blood in My Eyes for You (16-bar blues created and recorded by The Mississippi Sheiks, 1932)

Jackass Blues (Kassel and Stitzel, 1926)

Jackson Stomp (on their CD Rag Band. Charlie McCoy and Walter Vincson, 1930, for the Mississippi Mud Steppers)

Jailbird (Dave Bartholomew 1955: a 16-bar tune [12-bar blues plus 4-bar tag] played in G)

Jailhouse Blues (C.W. Stoneking)

Jazz Battle (On their 2018 CD Nigel's Dream; Jabbo Smith, 1929)
Jelly Bean Blues (on their CD Six Feet Down) ('Ma' Rainey with Louis Armstrong; also Bessie Smith, 1924)

Jet Black Blues (Lonnie Johnson, 1929)

Jones Law Blues (Bennie Moten and Count Basie, 1929. Included in the band's 2023 Album 'Hot Town'.)

Jubilee Stomp (On their 2019 CD Some Kind-a-Shake. Duke Ellington, 1928)

Juliana, a.k.a. Julianne On their 2020 Album  Quarantine Album: Unreleased B Sides.(Lionel Belasco; ?1937. Caribbean-style  ¾)

Junco Partner (Bob Shad, 1951. 16-bar tune. Recorded by Louis Jordan, Dr. John and others)

Just a Closer Walk With Thee (first recorded by a jazz band - 1941)

Just Like Two Drops of Water (Joe Greene, 1951. 32-bar a-a-b-a, reminiscent of spirituals. On their CD Live at D.B.A., 2024.)

Kansas City Stomps (Jelly Roll Morton, 1923. Included in the band's 2023 Album 'Hot Town'.)

Keyhole Blues (Wesley 'Kid'. Wilson, 1927. Made famous by the Armstrong Hot Seven 1927 recording)

Kicking the Rocks (Robin Rapuzzi, 2020. On their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll)

Kissing in the Dark (Memphis Minnie, 1953. Included in the band's 2023 Album 'Hot Town'.)

Kiss Me Sweet (Steve J. Lewis & Armand J. Piron, 1923)

Kitchen Man (on their CD Six Feet Down) (Andy Razaf and Alex Belledna, 1928. Recorded by Bessie Smith. Belledna was a pseudonym of Maceo Pinkard)

Last Minute Waltz (Max Bien-Kahn, 2020. On their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll)

Last Night on the Back Porch (1922, Lew Brown & Carl Schraubstader)
Late Hour Blues On their 2020 Album  Quarantine Album: Unreleased B Sides. (Composed by Richard M. Jones in 1926 for Sara Martin as 'Late Last Night'; but recorded as 'Late Hour Blues' by Georgia White, 1939)

Leaving Home (Frankie and Johnny) (traditional)

Let's Get Happy Together (Lil Hardin, 1938; on their 2021 CD Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny.)

Let the Four Winds Blow (16-bar [8+8]. Dave Bartholomew and Fats Domino, 1955)

Levee Waltz (Robin Rapuzzi. On their 2018 CD Nigel's Dream)

Lily of the Valley (traditional; made famous by Paul Barbarin in 1951)
Limehouse Blues (Philip Braham & Douglas Furber, 1922)

Little Dog on the Levee (Sophisticated 12-bar Blues, with Interlude. Max Bien-Kahn, 2020. On their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll)

Little Liza Jane (Countess Ada de Lachau, 1916. Popular 3-chorder, probably originating in the plantations)

Lonesome Drag (on their CD Pyramid Strut) (Erika Lewis composed the lyrics but the tune is Vine Street Drag from 1930 - see below)

Lonesome Road (on their CD Six Feet Down) (Gene Austin & Nathaniel Shilkret, 1927)

Loose Like That (on the CD Tupelo Pine; simple 8-bar tune, created by The Mississippi Sheiks in 1930)

Love in Vain (Blues) (Robert Johnson, 1937)

Love Me or Leave Me (on their CD Tuba Skinny. Donaldson and Kahn, 1928)

Lovesick Blues ('I Got a Feeling Called the Blues'. Irving Mills and Cliff Friend, 1922)

Love Songs of the Nile (1933; Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur Freed)
Magnolia Stroll (Max Bien-Kahn; 2019. On their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll)

Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor (Atlanta Blues. W.C. Handy 1923)
Maple Leaf Rag (On their CD Blue Chime Stomp. Scott Joplin and Russell, 1899)

Mardi Gras Mambo (On their 2021 Album Mardi Gras EP. Mardi Gras speciality, composed in 1953 by Frankie Adams and Lou Welsch)

Mary Ann (a.k.a. 'Marianne': Rafael de Leon, 1933)

Mean Blue Spirits (Spencer Williams; on their CD Pyramid Strut; aka Blue Spirit Blues - recorded by Bessie Smith in 1929)

Me and My Chauffeur (Strangely, a 19-bar tune. On their CD Blue Chime Stomp. Written by Ernest Lawler and recorded 1941 by his wife Memphis Minnie)

Memphis Blues (W.C. Handy, 1910)

Memphis Shake (On their CD Blue Chime Stomp. The Dixieland Jug Blowers, 1928. Composer Henry Clifford)

Memphis Shakedown (The Memphis Jug Band, 1930. Composer Will Shade?)

Messing Around (Composed by Charles L. 'Doc' Cooke, with words by Johnny St. Cyr, 1926. On their CD Live at D.B.A., 2024.)

Michigander Blues (Jabbo Smith, 1929)

Mickey Strut (Max Bien-Kahn, 2021. Included in the band's 2023 Album 'Hot Town'.)

Midnight Blues (On their CD Blue Chime Stomp. Babe Thompson and Spencer Williams, 1923. Tuba Skinny follow closely, in spirit and detail, the recording made by Rosa Henderson in 1923)

Midnight Stomp (Clarence Williams and Fats Waller, 1926)

Mighty Anchor (Robin Rapuzzi, 2020. On their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll)

Milneberg Joys (Walter Melrose, Leon Roppollo, Joe Mares, Jelly Roll Morton; 1925)

Minor Drag (Fats Waller, 1929; on their CD Garbage Man)

Minor Fret (Craig Flory; 2019. On their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll)

Mississippi River Blues (Big Bill Broonzy, 1934. Tuba Skinny sometimes announce this as 'Big Boat' - the title under which the identical song was later recorded by Washboard Sam).

Miss the Mississippi and You (composed by William H. Heagney, 1932. Tune in 3/4 time. Made famous by Jimmie Rodgers).
Moanin’ The Blues(Hank Williams; 1950)

Mother’s Son-in-Law (on their CD Garbage Man) (Alberta Nichols, mus., and Mann Holiner, wds., 1933)

Muddy Water (A Mississippi Moan) (Harry Richman & Peter de Rose; with words by Jo Trent. 1926. Recorded by Bessie Smith. On Tuba Skinny's album Garbage Man)
My Walking Stick (Irving Berlin, 1938. On their CD Live at D.B.A., 2024.)

Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl (on their CD Tuba Skinny. By Clarence Williams, D. Small, Tim Brian. Recorded by Bessie Smith, 1931)

New Dirty Dozens (Recorded by Memphis Minnie 1930; also by others, e.g. Lonnie Johnson 1930)

New Orleans Bump (Jelly Roll Morton, 1929. On their CD Rag Band)

New Orleans Stomp (Lil Hardin, 1923)

Nigel's Dream (on their CD Tupelo Pine; also on their 2018 CD Nigel's Dream; Shaye Cohn, 2015)

Nobody’s Blues But Mine (on their CD Garbage Man) (Recorded by Margaret Johnson, 1925, probable composer Clarence Williams)

Nobody’s Business (Bo Carter, 1934. Similar to 'Fingering With Your Fingers'. Included in the band's 2023 Album 'Hot Town'.)

Nothin' [aka Dodo Blues] (C. W. Stoneking, 2006)

Number 9 Train W. (12-bar, by Alden Bunn [Tarheel Slim], 1958)

Oh Ambulance Man (on their CD Owl Call Blues. Jennie Mae Clayton for Hattie Hart and The Memphis Jug Band, 1930)

Oh Daddy Blues (See below under 'Oh Papa Blues')

Oh Papa Blues (12-bar Verse; 28-bar Chorus. Composed by Ed Herbert and William Russell as 'Oh Daddy Blues' for Ethel Waters in 1921. But famously recorded as 'Oh Papa Blues' by Ma Rainey in 1927. On Tuba Skinny's CD Blue Chime Stomp.)

Oh Red  (Curious 11½- bar tune [Bar 10 has only two beats]! On their 2018 CD Nigel's Dream; recorded 1936 by The Harlem Hamfats & later by Blind Boy Fuller as 'New Oh Red')

Ol' Miss Rag (1915, W C Handy)

Once in a While (W.H. Butler, 1927)

One More Thing (See Tellin' You 'Bout It  below)

Organ Grinder Blues (Clarence Williams. Recorded by Ethel Waters 1928 and later by Bessie Smith)

Oriental Jazz (a.k.a. 'Oriental Rag' and 'Soudan'. On their CD Blue Chime Stomp. Composer: Gabriel Šebek. Recorded 1917 by the ODJB)

Oriental Strut (on their CD Owl Call Blues) (Johnny St. Cyr, 1926)

Over in the Gloryland (James W. Acuff [mus] and Emmett S.Dean [words], 1906)

Over the Waves (Juventino Rosas, 1885)

Owl Call Blues (on their CD Owl Call Blues. Hauntingly beautiful Shaye Cohn and Erika Lewis composition)

Papa’s Got Your Bath Water On (on their CD Rag Band) (Recorded by Hattie Hart and The Memphis Jug Band, 1930)

Pass Me Not O Gentle Saviour (William H. Doane (m) & Francis J. Crosby (w), 1870)

Patience and Fortitude (Composer unknown; on their 2021 CD Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny.)

Peace in the Valley (Thomas A. Dorsey, 1937. On their CD Six Feet Down)

Pearl River Stomp (on their CD Tupelo Pine; Shaye Cohn, 2016)
Perdido Street Blues (Lil Hardin Armstrong, 1926)

Please Baby Won't You Come Back to Your Daddy One More Time?  (The Mississippi Sheiks, 1931. An unusual 28-bar a-a-b-a structure)

Please Please Please (James Brown, 1955)

Plow Boy Hop (Ben Tinnon. recorded by The Grinnell Giggers in 1930.)
Postage Stomp (Sam Goble and Vic Johnston, 1930)
Proximity Effect (Craig Flory, 2020. On their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll)

Pyramid Strut (Shaye Cohn, 2013. On their Album also entitled Pyramid Strut and on their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll)

Rainy Nights On their 2020 Album  Quarantine Album: Unreleased B Sides. (W. Donaldson, V. Lopez, J. Trent; 1924)

Red Hot Band (Duke Ellington, 1926. 32-bar structures, with two key changes)

Redwing (Kerry Mills & Thurland Chattaway, 1907)

Right or Wrong (on their CD Tupelo Pine. Arthur Sizemore and Paul Biese [m] and  Haven Gillespie [w] 1921)

Road of Stone (Composer unknown; on their 2021 CD Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny.)

Rock Me (Thomas A. Dorsey, 1936. On their Album Tuba Skinny)

Roses of Caracas (Lionel Belasco; 1928. Trinidad-style waltz)

Rosa Lee Blues (Walter Vinson, 1941. Eight-to-the-Bar 12-bar blues. On their CD Owl Call Blues)

Running Down My Man (12-bar blues in F, played eight-to-the-bar. On their CD Blue Chime Stomp. Merline Johnson, 1936)

Russian Rag (George L. Cobb, 1918. On their CD Rag Band) 

Salamanca Blues (on their CD Rag Band; Shaye Cohn, 2011)

San (Composed in 1920 by Lindsay McPhail and Walter Hirsch [aka Walter Michels]. On their CD Live at D.B.A., 2024.)

Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down (traditional; composer unknown)

Saturday Night Function (On their 2019 CD Some Kind-a-Shake. 1929 Duke Ellington and Barney Bigard)

Save it, Pretty Mama (16-bar song, Joe Davis, Don Redman, Paul Denniker, 1928)

Savoy Blues (Kid Ory and Sid Robin, 1925)

Say Si Si On their 2020 Album  Quarantine Album: Unreleased B Sides. (Stillman & Lecuona & Luhan, 1936)

Security (12- bar blues at 8-to-the-bar. Allen Bunn [aka Tarheel Slim] 1959. Included in the band's 2023 Album 'Hot Town'.)

Seems Like Old Times On their 2020 Album  Quarantine Album: Unreleased B Sides. (Carmen Lombardo & J. Loeb, 1945)

Seven Skeletons Found in the Yard (Philip Garcia ['Lord Executor'] C. 1935. Trinidad calypso.)

See See Rider (Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey, 1925)

Shake It and Break It (On their CD Blue Chime Stomp. H. Qualli Clark & Frisco Lou Chiha, 1920)

Shine On, Harvest Moon (Jack Norworth & Nora Bayes, 1908)

Short Dress Gal (on their CD Owl Call Blues) (Sam Morgan, 1925)
Sidewalk Blues On their 2020 Album  Quarantine Album: Unreleased B Sides. (Jelly Roll Morton & Walter Melrose, 1926)

Silver Bell (Percy Wenrich & Edward Madden, 1910)

Six Feet Down (on their CD Six Feet Down and on their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll. Erika Lewis composition 2009)

Six Or Seven Times (Fats Waller & Irving Mills, 1929)

Skid-Dat-De-Dat (on their CD Pyramid Strut. Lil Hardin, 1926)

Sleepy Time Blues (Jabbo Smith, 1929. Recorded by Jabbo Smith's Rhythm Aces, 1929)

Sluefoot (1927. Joe Sanders. Recorded 1927 by The Coon-Sanders Nighthawks)

Slow Driving Moan (on their CD Pyramid Strut. Closely modelled on the recording by Ma Rainey, 1927)

Slowpoke (on their CD Tuba Skinny; composed by Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart and Chilton Price, 1951)

Sobbin' Blues (Vic Berton and Arthur Kassel, 1922)

So Long (?Bo Carter 1930)

Sold My Soul, Sold it to the Devil (Merline Johnson, 1937)

Somebody Else is Taking My Place (Russ Morgan, Dick Howard, Bob Elsworth, 1937)

Somebody's Been Loving My Baby (on their CD Owl Call Blues. Recorded by Mandy Lee in 1920s)

Some Cold Rainy Day (On their 2018 CD Nigel's Dream; recorded by Bertha 'Chippie' Hill in 1928; probably composed by Richard M. Jones)

Some Day I’ll Be Gone Away (Recorded by Merline Johnson in 1938. A very basic 12-bar blues, performed by both Merline and Tuba Skinny in C)

Some Day, Sweetheart (John Spikes and Benjamin Spikes, 1919)
Some Kind-a-Shake (On their 2019 CD Some Kind-a-Shake. Shaye Cohn, 2018)

Some of These Days (Shelton Brooks, 1920. On their CD Garbage Man)

Some Sweet Day (Edward Rose, Tony Jackson and Abe Olman, 1917. On their 2021 CD Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny.)

Song of the Islands (Charles E. King, 1930)

Soudan (See 'Oriental Jazz' above)

South (Benny Moten, Thomas Hayes, Ray Charles, 1924)

Springfield Stomp (Cecil Scott and Don Frye, 1929. Included in the band's 2023 Album 'Hot Town'.)

Springtime Strut (Thomas Majcherski. On their 2018 CD Nigel's Dream)

Squeeze Me (On their CD Rag Band. Also on their 2019 CD Some Kind-a-Shake. Fats Waller and Clarence Williams, 1925)

Staròwka (On their 2021 Album Mardi Gras EP. Robin Rapuzzi, 2018. Reminiscent of Klezmer or Circus Music)

Stavin' Chain (Lil Johnson 12-bar song from 1937)

St. Louis Blues (W.C. Handy, 1914)

Stealing Love (On their 2019 CD Some Kind-a-Shake. Dave Nelson, 1930)

Still I'm Travelling On (Mississippi Sheiks, 1930)

Stop and Listen (Recorded by Merline Johnson in Chicago, 1940. Minor-key song with similarities to 'St. James Infirmary' and 'Summertime')

Storyville Blues (Maceo Pinkard, 1918. On their CD Live at D.B.A., 2024.)

Sugar Foot Strut (Billy Pierce, Henry Myers & Charles M. Schwab, 1927. On their CD Live at D.B.A., 2024.)

Sugar House Stomp (Buddy Christian, 1926.)

Sun Brimmer's Blues (Will Shade and Will Weldon, 1927. Recorded by The Memphis Jug Band. Included in the band's 2023 Album 'Hot Town'.)

Sunset Waltz (Charlie McCoy, 1929, for The Mississippi Mud Steppers. Ben Tinnon also claimed as composer.)

Sweet Like This (King Oliver and Dave Nelson, 1929)

Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul (Sara Martin and her Jug Band, 1925. On their CD Pyramid Strut)

Sweet Mama Hurry Home (On their CD Garbage Man; Jimmie Rodgers and Jack Neville, 1932)

Sweet Olive (Pretty, through-composed piece in F. Written originally for string quartet by Robin Rapuzzi, 2019. Included in the band's 2023 Album 'Hot Town'.)

Sweet Potato Blues On their 2020 Album  Quarantine Album: Unreleased B Sides. (Recorded by King David's Jug Band, New York, 1930)

Swing You Sinners (W. Franke Harling & Sam Coslow, 1930; on their 2021 CD Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny.)

Tag Along Blues (Tomas Majcherski, 2017)

Take it Easy (Duke Ellington, 1928)

Tangled Blues  (On their 2018 CD Nigel's Dream; Shaye Cohn, 2015)
Tellin' You 'Bout It (Bo Carter, 1931. Often wrongly announced as 'One More Thing'. A simple 12-bar blues with a break on bars 7 and 8)

Tell It Like It Is (Bill Allen & Delores Johnson, 1960. Recorded by Edwin Joseph Bocage [aka Eddie Bo])

Tell Me To Do Right  (Mississippi Sheiks, 1932)

Temptation Rag (Thomas Henry Lodge, 1909)

Ten or Twelve Times, Maybe More (Bill Carlisle, 1936)

Thanks a Million (Arthur Johnston [m] and Gus Kahn [w], 1935)

That's It (Mississippi Sheiks, 1930)

The Creeper (1926, Duke Ellington. 16-bar themes in Eb and Bb, with plenty of breaks on Bars 7-8; and a Tiger Rag-ish 32-bar theme in Ab to finish)
The Diamond Dove Song (Octave-descending theme in Eb. Shaye Cohn, 2020. On their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll)

The Girls Go Crazy (1916, attr. to Kid Ory)

The Glow Worm Wobble (Robin Rapuzzi, 2022)

Them Has Been Blues (by Will. E. Skidmore & Marshall Walker; recorded by Bessie Smith in 1926)

Them Things Got Me (by Clarence Williams and Mike Jackson. Recorded by the Clarence Williams Jazz Kings, 1929. On their CD Live at D.B.A., 2024.)

Thoughts (on their CD Tupelo Pine; Robin Rapuzzi, 2015)

Thriller Rag (On their 2019 CD Some Kind-a-Shake. May Aufderheide, 1909)

Throw Your Black Hand Down (See 'Black Hand Blues')

Tiger Rag (La Rocca and De Costa, 1917)

Tight Like This (Langston Curl, 1928; on their CD Tuba Skinny)

Till We Meet Again (Richard Whiting (w) & Raymond Egan (m), 1918)

Times Ain't What They Used To Be (a very basic 12-bar blues; Charlie McCoy 1928)

Tin Roof Blues (Paul Mares, Ben Pollack, Mel Stitzel, George Brunies, Leon Roppollo, 1922)

Tishomingo Blues (Spencer Williams, 1917)

Tom Cat Blues (Jelly Roll Morton, 1924)

Tomorrow Night (Sam Coslow [m] and Will Grosz [w], 1939. 32-bar a-a-b-a)

Tonight I Smile With You (Memphis Minnie, 1949. 32-bar a-a-b-a structure)

Too Late (Joe 'King' Oliver and Dave Nelson, 1929)

Too Long (recorded by The Mississippi Sheiks, 1930)

Too Much Competition (Up-tempo standard 12-bar blues. Alden Bunn, 1952)

Too Tight Blues (on their CD Owl Call Blues; Blind Blake, 1927)

Traveling Mood (12-bar blues by Malcolm John Rebennack ['Dr. John'])
Travellin' Blues (on their CD Owl Call Blues) (composed and recorded by Shelly Lee Alley and Jimmie Rodgers in 1931)

Treasures Untold (Waltz. On their CD Rag Band; Ellsworth T. Cozzens and Jimmie Rodgers, 1928)

Tricks Ain’t Walkin’ No More (on their CD Rag Band) (Lucille Bogan song from 1930)

Trickster's Rag (Shaye Cohn, 2021 - in the key of G.  On their 2022 Album Magnolia Stroll)

Trouble in Mind (Richard M. Jones, 1926)

True Love (12-bar blues, learned from the Merline Johnson recording of 1938)

Tupelo Pine (Barnabus Jones, 2017. On their CD Tupelo Pine)

Turtle Blues (on their CD Six Feet Down)

Untrue Blues (8-bar tune, but with a curious 13-bar interlude. On their CD Owl Call Blues. Recorded 1936 by Blind Boy Fuller)

Unfortunate Rag (Tomas Majcherski, 2016. Classically-structured gentle rag going from B flat to E flat. On their 2018 CD Nigel's Dream)

Up a Lazy River (Hoagy Carmichael and Sidney Arodin, 1931)

Variety Stomp (On their CD Blue Chime Stomp. Joe Trent, Ray Henderson, Bud Green, 1927)

Vine Street Blues (on their CD Six Feet Down) (possibly Benny Moten and his Kansas City Orchestra, 1924)

Vine Street Drag (Tennessee Chocolate Drops, 1930. Possible composer: J. Brown)

Viola Lee Blues (Gus Cannon, 1928; unusual in being an 11 and a half bar blues)

Viper Mad (Sidney Bechet and Rousseau Simmons, 1924)

Wabash Blues (1921 composition by Dave Ringle and Fred Meinken)
Wa Wa Wa (1926 composition by Mort Schaeffer for King Oliver's Band)

Waltz Across Texas With You (written 1965 by Quanah Talmadge Tubb and made famous by his uncle Ernest Tubb)

Weary Blues (Based on a 1906 Rag by Artie Matthews.

Weary-Eyed Blues (on their CD Garbage Man)

Weather Bird Rag (Louis Armstrong [or possibly King Oliver], 1923)

Wee Midnight Hours (On their 2019 CD Some Kind-a-Shake. Following the recording by Blind Willie McTell, 1950, though the original 'Midnight Hour Blues' was recorded by Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell in 1932, and composed by Scrapper Blackwell, probably with help from his sister Mae Malone.)

Weeping  Willow Blues (P. Carter, 1924. On their CD Six Feet Down)

West End Blues (Joe 'King' Oliver and Clarence Williams, 1928)

What If We Do? (James P. Johnson and Clarence Williams 1929)

What’s the Matter With the Mill? (Memphis Minnie and Joe McCoy, 1930)
What’s the Reason I'm Not Pleasing You? (Truman 'Pinky' Tomlin & Earl Hatch [mus]; Coy Poe & Jimmy Grier [wds], 1934)

When I Grow Too Old To Dream (Oscar Hammerstein and Sigmund Romberg, 1934)

When My Dreamboat Comes Home (Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin, 1936)

When My Love Comes Down  (Richard Jones, 1937; recorded by Georgia White. Included in the band's 2023 Album 'Hot Town'.)

When The Red Sun Turns to Gray (12-bar blues. Recorded by Georgia White in 1939)

When The Saints Go Marching In (Virgil Stamps & Luther G.Presley, 1936)

When They Ring the Golden Bells (Daniel de Marbelle, 1887. Included in the band's 2023 Album 'Hot Town'.)

When You and I Were Young, Maggie (Composed in 1866 by J A Butterfield and G W Johnson)

Why Do You Do That To Me? (Almost identical to 'Make Me a Pallet on the Floor'. 16-bar a-a-b-a recorded by Washboard Sam in 1940)

Wild Man Blues (The Morton and Armstrong classic from 1927)

Willie the Weeper (on their CD Owl Call Blues) (Melrose, Bloom and Rymal, 1920)

Winin' Boy Blues  (J.R. Morton, 1939)

Won’t You Be Kind to Me? On their 2020 Album  Quarantine Album: Unreleased B Sides. A 12-bar played in F. (Hattie Hart and the Memphis Jug Band, 1928)

Work Ox Blues (Alger 'Texas' Alexander, 1938)

Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula (Ray Goetz & Joe Young [m] & Pete Wendling [w] 1916)

Yearning (The 1925 song by Joe Burke and Benny Davis)

Yellow Dog Blues  (W. C. Handy, 1914)

Yes Sir That’s My Baby (Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson, 1925)

You Can Have My Husband (on their CD Six Feet Down; Dorothy Labostrie, 1960)

You Got Me Rollin' (Mama) (Composer ?Will Shade. Recorded by the Memphis Jug Band, 1930)

You Let Me Down (on their CD Tuba Skinny) (Harry Warren and Al Dubin, 1935)

You're Gonna Quit Me, Baby  (On their 2019 CD Some Kind-a-Shake. Blind Blake, 1927)

Your Cheatin' Heart (Hank Williams, 1952)

You’ve Been a Good Ol’ Waggon (on their CD Tuba Skinny) (Smith and Balcam. Recorded by Bessie Smith, 1925. The composition of the same title by Ben Harney and John Biller, 1895, is a quite different song.)